Contents Performance S1 BBC Purposes S3 Ofcom and BBC Trust responsibilities S4 Ofcom Tier 2 quotas against public S5 Performance against Statements of Programme Policy 2010/11 S23 Access Services commitments S24 Window of Creative Competition (WoCC) 2010 /11 1 – BBC Purposes The BBC’s public service mission is to inform, educate and entertain audiences with programmes and services of high quality, originality and value. Putting Quality First is our 21st century strategy for delivering our mission in the digital age through: • The best journalism in the world • Inspiring knowledge, culture and music • Ambitious UK drama and comedy • Outstanding children’s content • Bringing the nation together By offering the best content across our portfolio of services we give audiences what they tell us they want to listen to, watch and surf. The following pages give a flavour of our last year and highlight how we have met our promises to audiences to inform, educate and entertain them with a distinct range of programmes that they will not find anywhere else. Citizenship Inform: we have a worldwide reputation for impartial reportage and analysis of the world we live in. Our UK-wide, international, national and local channels and services cover a broad range of stories, issues and information tailored for a diverse range of users. As well as covering May’s General Election (pictured) and local elections, and the lead up to and outcome of the new Government’s Comprehensive Public Spending Review (and the subsequent reaction), other major domestic stories that we reported and analysed included the Report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, the Papal visit, and the Labour Party leadership contest. Learning Educate: we promote and support formal and informal education for all age groups – from pre-school children to silver-surfer adults, across television, radio and the web. Our targeted children’s services – CBeebies and CBBC – engage and entertain their demanding audiences, supporting them as they learn new skills to cope with the world around them. The picture shows Tikkabilla’s Paul Ewing reading a story for our youngest viewers with the help (and occasional hindrance) of Tamba the puppet. S1 1 – BBC Purposes continued Creativity Entertain: we offer unique and innovative content that entertains and engages audiences, including live music and the biggest range of radio, television and bespoke online drama from any broadcaster in the world. A season of programmes across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC Four marked the 70th anniversary of The Battle of Britain. Pictured here, First Light told the extraordinary story of 18 year old Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum through a mixture of drama and his own personal recollection. Community We reflect the UK’s diversity at national, regional and local levels with services in English, Scottish Gaelic and Welsh, and programmes in many other languages. The BBC’s distinctive offer across our portfolio means we have something for everyone. And while tastes may change, and senses of humour may vary from region to region, quality content will be valued by audiences wherever in the UK they are. Stephen Nolan (shown in his studio) meets the different expectations of the listeners to the shows he presents locally on BBC Radio Ulster and UK-wide on BBC Radio 5 Live. Global We offer the best of UK content to the world, as well as bringing the best of the world to the UK. Our global news services provide independent and internationally respected news and analysis, covering the key stories of the day. We continue to cover the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as new and emerging stories like the recent Pakistan floods, the election and floods in Haiti, the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the Chilean miners, democracy protests across the Middle East (picture shows women protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square), and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Digital The BBC is the most used online content provider in the UK and over 15 million adults now listen to our radio services via digital platforms each week. We have been at the forefront of helping the UK upgrade to digital television, and will continue to develop partnerships with industry leaders that can benefit audiences everywhere, from digital radio to broadband. In September we broadcast a set by The Charlatans from London to Tokyo in Super Hi-Vision. We plan to use this technology, developed with Japanese broadcaster NHK, for a series of BBC big screens during the 2012 London Olympics. S2 2 – Ofcom and BBC Trust’s responsibilities Under the terms of the BBC’s Royal Charter, the Agreement, and the Communications Act 2003 (‘the Act’), some areas of the BBC’s activity are regulated by Ofcom, some by the BBC Trust, and some by both together. A Memorandum of Understanding was agreed in March 2007 to clarify the respective roles and responsibilities of the Trust and Ofcom, and the key points are summarised below: Programme standards The BBC Executive is accountable to the BBC Trust for accuracy and impartiality of content; Ofcom sets certain programme standards. Both have duties to consider complaints. Quotas and codes News and current affairs The BBC Trust sets quotas for news and current affairs on BBC One and BBC Two, consulting Ofcom (for agreement in some cases) before imposing these requirements. Original productions The BBC Executive and Ofcom must agree an appropriate proportion of programming to be original productions. Nations and Regions programming The BBC Trust sets quotas for programmes from the Nations and Regions, consulting Ofcom (for agreement in some cases) before imposing these requirements. Programmes made outside London The BBC Executive and Ofcom must agree a suitable proportion of programming to be made in the UK outside the M25 area. Independent production The BBC Trust requires the BBC to follow a code of practice for commissioning independent productions, and reviews delivery against the Window of Creative Competition (WoCC), within which in-house and independent producers can compete for commissions. The BBC Trust and Ofcom monitor compliance with targets for independent production. Access The BBC Executive must observe Ofcom’s code for providing services for the deaf and the visually impaired. Public Value Tests (PVTs) The BBC Trust must apply a public value test before allowing significant change to the BBC’s UK public services. Ofcom provides the market impact assessment element of the test. Competitive impact The BBC Trust must consider the economic impact of the BBC on the broadcasting sector. Adjudications on matters of competition law are the responsibility of Ofcom or the Office of Fair Trading. Radio spectrum The BBC Trust must ensure efficient use of the BBC’s allocated spectrum; Ofcom is responsible for ensuring best use is made of the whole spectrum. Some further areas of common responsibility (including public service broadcasting, media literacy and the promotion of equal opportunities and training) are set out in the Act and Agreement S3 3 – Ofcom Tier 2 quotas 2010 We exceeded all of the Ofcom Tier 2 Quotas last year. These are the BBC’s self assessment figures. Ofcom are due to formally report on our performance in its Communications Market Review 2010 due to be published later this year. 2010 Quota Achievement Independent production quota1 Hours of qualifying programmes across all channels 25% 36% Hours of qualifying programmes on BBC One 25% 33% Hours of qualifying programmes on BBC Two 25% 41% Regional programme making2 Spend on qualifying programmes 30% 38% Hours of qualifying programmes 25% 39% News and current affairs programmes3 Hours of News on BBC One 1,380 1,617 Hours of News on BBC One in peak 275 278 Hours of current affairs on BBC One and BBC Two 365 557 Hours of current affairs on BBC One and BBC Two in peak 105 124 Levels of Original Production4 BBC One 70% 89% BBC One in peak 90% 100% BBC Two 70% 82% BBC Two in peak 80% 97% BBC Three 70% 83% BBC Three in peak 70% 74% BBC Four 70% approx 83% BBC Four in peak 50% 80% CBeebies 80% approx 81% CBBC 70% 83% BBC News channel 90% 96% BBC Parliament 90% 98% Regional Programming5 Hours of regional programming 6,270 7,077 Hours of programmes made in the relevant area 95% 99.9% Hours of BBC One news 3,920 4,999 Hours of BBC One news in peak 2,010 2,273 Hours of non-news programming in peak 655 746 All non-news programmes adjacent to peak 280 377 1 The BBC is subject to a 25% independent production quota across all channels and on BBC One and BBC Two individually. 2 The BBC has used Ofcom’s definitions of regional production from 1 January 2006. 3 These quotas and performance figures are for network programming only. The News quota specifically excludes overnight transmissions of BBC News channel. 4 Original productions include all BBC commissioned programmes including repeats. 5 These figures represent regional programmes across BBC One and BBC Two. S4 4 – Performance against Statements of Programme Policy 2010/11 Statements of Programme Policy (SoPPS) are annual promises to licence fee payers from the BBC which showcase some of the ways that each of our services meets its service licence commitments and delivers high quality and distinctive content to them as viewers, listeners and users. SoPPS are a Tier 3 Ofcom commitment, approved by the BBC Trust. The following pages summarise the BBC’s performance against SoPPs by service for 2010/11. Unless otherwise stated, all commitments are minimum hours or percentage and include originations, repeats and acquisitions. The challenges for CBeebies and BBC Red Button are given on the following pages, but neither service has any quantitative commitments to report on for the period.